Bargains In The Real World: Thirteen Stories

Bargains in the Real World: Thirteen Stories

From Booklist The 13 stories by the author of Night Talk (1997) offer readers a glimpse into the lives of people who are faced with hard choices. However, the stories are so well crafted that many have had the life written out of them. Unfortunately, this muted tone means that for the most part the stories blur and blend into one another, despite their varied locales (although most frequently the South), time periods (including the 1940s, the post-Civil War era, and the present), and subjects. Only three stand out. In "The Third of July," Nadine's decision to leave her husband of 30 years is changed when she witnesses a fatal collision between a station wagon and a truck carrying chickens. "The Last Fourth Grade" tells the story of a fourth-grade teacher sent to prison for killing her husband, a pedophile. "Washed" describes the relationship between a soldier in the Gulf War and his girlfriend, a woman who wants desperately to believe that love is not a lie. Libraries that purchase fiction comprehensively will want this collection Nancy PearlCopyright